The Central Market _ _ _ First Itinerary
Approfondimenti
Via Chiara
The Central Market grew out of an event that had great historic and urbanistic importance: when the capital of the newly united Kingdom of Italy moved from Turin to Florence in 1860. To welcome, in an appropriate manner, the Government and the institutions that would be situated on the shores of the Arno from 1865 to 1870, the historic center of Florence was completely restyled as no city had ever been before during this time period. The historic city center largely retained the medieval city’s layout, which was renewed by moving entire buildings, enlarging streets and building new Savoyard-style palazzi. Literally tearing out the antique heart of the city by destroying the Roman ruins (where Piazza della Repubblica stands today) where the remains of the Roman forum had given birth to the Old Market and the surrounding blocks where the Jewish ghetto had once been located. The bulk of the archeological artifacts that came to light and the desire to conserve testimonies of the past led to the creation of a special historical museum called “Firenze com’era” or “Florence, as it was”.
Artifice of the city’s complete transformation - which caused some heated debate - was the architect Giuseppe Poggi, to whom we owe the destruction of the old city walls (substituted by boulevards circling the city called Viali), the creation of the Lungarni and the continuation of the boulevards up into the hillsides surrounding Florence which culminates in the innovative and extraordinarily beautiful Piazzale Michelangelo. These changes gave Florence the look that it retains today, which was clearly inspired by the great European capitals, especially Paris.
And the Market? Because the population was growing and the New Market, under the Loggia del Porcellino was clearly insufficient, it was decided to create three new markets instead of one, taking advantage of the occasion to revitalize one of the older neighborhoods in Florence called the Camaldoli. The largest market would be constructed in San Lorenzo, the Herb Market in Sant’Ambrogio and yet another, which was demolished in the beginning of the 1900s, in San Frediano.
It was a great idea but San Lorenzo had no room for a new market. It was therefore necessary to open up a vast area in the labyrinth of narrow streets that had grown up outside of the first set of Roman walls and between the two sets of medieval walls. The area where the Central Market is now located was occupied until 1870 by the Camaldoli of San Lorenzo, it was a very old neighborhood but poorly located and very unhealthy. It had a rectangular shape with confines defined by Via dell’Ariento, Via Panicale, Via Chiara and Via Sant’Antonino. A special commission was nominated in 1869 and it decided to go to work with pickaxes, tearing down a group of houses on each street so that the four remaining groups would open onto a large piazza made for the new covered market, similar to an enormous warehouse made with the most innovative materials of the era: cast iron and glass.
To create this popular structure Florence had the honor of hiring Giuseppe Mengoni, the same architect who had just designed the covered elite Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II in Milan. The result was remarkable. Mengoni knew how to integrate new elements with the old, uniting the almost classical exterior to a Liberty like interior. The warehouse in cast iron and glass, which filled the space with light, was placed on a wide square base in stone composed of an arcade with 10 slender classical arches on each side, echoing the rusticated style of Palazzo Medici nearby, providing passerbys who view the building with a Renaissance note that sweetly accompanies their eye to the top of the building where the architect allowed the red color and the materials of the new century to triumph. The functionality of the construction is particularly evident from the interior where the light filters in from the high windows giving the effect of an open market. Construction began in 1870 and was concluded in 1874 with another event: the International Horticulture Exposition, which was held in the new building. The real market as we see it today wouldn’t open until two years later. From then on many generations of Florentines have wandered its aisles, which seem more like inside alleyways and make the market seem like a little city made up of small shops where Italians acquire, under the large skylights, all types of typical foods for their table because they consider it best place to shop for two reasons: the quality of its products – many of which still come directly from farms- and for its unbeatable prices. The last restructuring of the building dates to 1976 when to meet the needs of a modern clientele all of the fruit and vegetable stalls were moved inside by creating a platform supported by a large reticulated beams. Mengoni’s building was a complete success and even the renovation of the neighborhood didn’t cause too much scandal, unlike the debate caused by Piazza Republicca. No one complained about the loss of the little houses located here. Also because the surviving area in Via Sant’Antonino and Via Panicale as uplifted by the insertion of porticos in tune with Mengoni’s architecture and they too were occupied by stores and stalls. In the back, by Via Guelfa, the destruction of the southern block of Via Chiara produced a wide space that took the name of Piazza del Mercato Centrale. The surrounding stores and stalls created continuity with the area providing a natural market that offered merchandise of all types while traditional wine shops, tripe sellers, and economical osterie, offering wine, snacks and pasta, allowed anyone to try traditional Florentine cuisine while they sat and enjoyed one of the liveliest and picturesque piazzas of the city. Lately the area including Piazza del Mercato and some of the adjoining streets has distinguished itself for hosting many outside events like poetry readings, street theater and an outdoor celebration on the traditional holiday of the Rificolona in September with bands and musicians on stilts, puppet shows and clowns capable of blowing balloons into any shape a child can desire.